1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to handheld data entry devices and, more particularly to an active keyboard system for handheld electronic devices. The active keyboard system dynamically presents available choices on a display grouped to effect unambiguous selection of the available choices through use of input means, thereby providing users of handheld electronic devices with a consistent set of techniques to perform all commonly used functions including entering alphanumeric text and data into the device using only one hand.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronic devices are rapidly becoming smaller while their capabilities are continually increasing. Shrinking size has limited the ability of the user to physically manipulate the keyboard in order to input information into the electronic device and access information from the device. Some electronic devices have been produced with miniature keyboards, but these have proven difficult to use and the keys are too small for fast entry of data with the fingers. Using normal size keys for a complete keyboard limits how small a device can be due to the necessary width of the keyboard. Some companies have created normal size keyboards that break into overlapping pieces when the computer is not in use, but even then the device must still be relatively large.
Today many electronic devices are small enough to fit into the palm of the hand. With such small size it would be desirable to be able to quickly enter data, or to navigate the Internet with one hand, where that one hand not only supports the device but is also able to quickly enter data or commands using all five digits. A device for quickly and efficiently entering data, including full text, with a limited number of keys, such as that provided by the present invention, is needed in order to fully utilize the power of these small electronic devices.
The prior art has shown several methods of data entry using a limited number of full size keys. One such method is the “multi-tap” method. This method involves using twelve or more keys with several letters or symbols assigned to each key. The user taps each key until the desired letter appears on the device's display. This system allows the user to input complete text messages using a limited number of keys, but it is a time consuming system due to the excessive number of keystrokes and timeouts required, it has no Internet browsing capability, and it forces the user to shift the position of his fingers from key to key, further reducing keystroke efficiency.
Another method of inputting data using a limited number of keys are the systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,437, issued Oct. 6, 1998 to Dale L. Grover et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,554, issued Jan. 4, 2000 to Martin T. King et al. These systems also assign each key a plurality of values, but eliminate the need to press each key multiple times. The user simply presses each desired key once and the computer attempts to decipher what word the user intended to input out of the several possible words which could be formed from the several letters on each key. If the computer comes up with the wrong word the user can scroll through a number of other possibilities. These systems are effective in reducing the number of keystrokes as compared to the multi-tap method. They cannot, however, be used to input uncommon words and names due to a limited vocabulary, they have no application to Internet browsing, and they cannot be used without the user changing finger position on the keys.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,624, issued Dec. 29, 1998 to Jeffrey A. Grant, is an example of a pocket-sized interface for Internet browsing. The Grant '624 device uses a touch sensitive switch and several keys to allow a user to interface with the Internet. While the Grant '624 device does function to allow a user to navigate the Internet, it shows no way of entering data such as text and numbers, and is not designed for one hand operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,853, issued Dec. 26, 2000 to Lisa L. Foote, is also relevant in that it discloses an ergonomic housing for a handheld device. The Foote device fits over a standard electronic device such as a remote control and allows the user to comfortably operate such a device using only one hand. The Foote device does not, however disclose any method for quickly entering a variety of data, nor show any method of navigating the Internet.
Additional relevant art includes U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/0060699 A1, published May 23, 2002 for Giovanni D'Agostinin (character input device based on a two-dimensional movement sensor); U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/0163504 A1, published Nov. 7, 2002 for Matthew G. Pallakoff (hand held device that supports fast text typing); U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0036362 A1, published Feb. 20, 2003 for Joshua R. Buesseler et al. (interchangeable cover for a mobile communications device) ; and U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0048262 A1, published Mar. 13, 2003 for Charles Wu et al. (method and apparatus for navigation, text input, and phone dialing).
Additional related art includes U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0052861 A1, published Mar. 20, 2003 for Jiang Peng (portable communication device with detachable joystick and method therefore); U.S. patent application Publication No. 2004/0012566 A1, published Jan. 22, 2004 for Gary R. Bradski (intuitive mobile device interface to virtual spaces); and U.S. patent application Publication No. 2004/0018863 A1, published Jan. 29, 2004 for G. Eric Engstrom et al. (personalization of mobile electronic devices using smart accessory covers).
Additional related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,777, issued Jan. 2, 1990 to James M. Lapeyre (single hand keyboard arrays providing alphanumeric capabilities from twelve keys); U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,480, issued Feb. 16, 1993 to Ronald H. Thomas et al. (symbol definition apparatus); U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,322 issued Jul. 26, 1994 to Thomas L. Gambaro (ergonomic thumb-actuable keyboard for a hand-grippable device); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,471,042 and 5,565,671, issued Nov. 28, 1995 and Oct. 15, 1996, respectively, to David Kirkeby et al. (handheld data entry terminal having dual trigger switches); U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,719, issued Mar. 18, 1997 to Ernest H. Beernik et al. (gesture sensitive buttons for graphical user interfaces): U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,113, issued Sep. 9, 1997 to James D. Logan (system for using a touchpad input device for cursor control and keyboard emulation); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,623, issued Dec. 30, 1997 to Malcolm G. Hall et al. (smart orientation sensing circuit for remote control).
Additional related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,976, issued Oct. 6, 1998 to Nina T. Cheung (computer data entry apparatus with hand motion sensing and monitoring); U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,567 issued Sep. 15, 1998 to Seth R. McCloud (apparatus and method of communicating using three digits of a hand); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,873, issued Aug. 3, 1998 to James M. Cisar (programmable mobile device with thumb wheel).
Additional related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,070, issued Apr. 18, 2000 to Seppo Kivellä et al. (method for forming a character string, an electronic communication device and a charging unit for charging the electronic communication device); U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,358, issued May 23, 2000 to Alan H. Grant (ergonomic cellular phone); U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,317, issued Aug. 15, 2000 to Jerry Panagrossi (data entry device and method); U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,554, issued Mar. 13, 2001 to Robert M. Lands (device control apparatus for hand-held data processing); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,080, issued Jun. 5, 2001 to Anders L. Molne (touch-sensitive panel with selector).
Additional related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,290, issued Feb. 12, 2002 to Joel F. Bartlett (apparatus and method for detecting and executing positional and gesture commands corresponding to movement of handheld computing device); U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,640, issued May 21, 2002 to Craig A. Will (entry of words with thumbwheel by disambiguation); U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,376, issued Jun. 4, 2002 to Mona Singh et al. (display control for hand-held data processing device); U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,709, issued Aug. 20, 2002 to Qi Hao (keyboard and thereof input method); U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,198, issued Oct. 15, 2002 to David Y. Feinstein (view navigation and magnification of a hand-held device with a display); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,101, issued May 20, 2003 to Keith C. Thomas (system and method utilizing motion input for manipulating a display of data).
Additional related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,573,883 issued Jun. 3, 2003 to Joel F. Bartlett (method and apparatus for controlling a computing device with gestures); U.S. Pat. No. 6,603,420, issued Aug. 5, 2003 to Jin Lu (remote control device with motion based control for receiver volume, channel selection, or other parameters); U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,255, issued Aug. 26, 2003 to Jason T. Griffin et al. (hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs); U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,482, issued Nov. 4, 2003 to Iwao Masuyama et al. (portable game apparatus with acceleration sensor and information storage medium storing a game program); U.S. Pat. No. 6,683,599, issued Jan. 27, 2004 to Robert A. Shepherd (keypads style input device for electrical device); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,358, issued Feb. 10, 2004 to Alan E. Kaplan (display control for hand-held device).
Additional related art includes European Patent Application Publication No. EP 0 735 514 A1, published in October 1996, Great Britain Patent Application Publication No. GB 2 193 023 A, published in January 1988, World International Patent Organization (WIPO) Patent Application Publication No. WO 02/073995 A1, published in September 2002, European Patent Application Publication No. EP 1 271 288 A2, published in January 2003, and WIPO Patent Application Publication No. WO 03/015379, published in February 2003.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. cl SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an active keyboard system for handheld electronic devices. The active keyboard system dynamically presents available choices on a display grouped to effect unambiguous selection of the available choices through use of input means, thereby providing users of handheld electronic devices with a consistent set of techniques to perform all commonly used functions including entering alphanumeric text and data into the system using only one hand. The active keyboard system includes a processor, a memory, and a display communicatively connected to one another. The system includes input means for inputting data into the system that include at least one selector and a plurality of keys. Active keyboard system software is stored on the memory and is configured to dynamically present available choices on the display grouped to effect unambiguous selection of the available choices through use of the input means.
The active keyboard system software includes presentation code and filter code. The presentation code includes step or scroll resolution code to enable scrolling, and grid presentation code to organize available choices on a visual grid and provide the visual grid to the display. The presentation code displays a selection pointer controlled by one of the selectors at a time. The grid presentation code configures the visual grid with one or more panes each configured as a matrix with a plurality of columns and plurality of rows. The pane(s) may be configured as a matrix with three columns and four rows, a matrix with one column and a plurality of rows, etc. The pane(s) may be clear, transparent, translucent, and/or opaque.
The visual grid includes a plurality of cells and the grid presentation code may have grid population code to populate each of the cells with an alphanumeric character, a symbol, a music note, an icon, text, an ideogram, or a logogram. The presentation code may have application adapter code to translate transactions between application and presentation code, sound code to provide an audio announcement for a selected choice, an audio confirmation for completion of an action or an alarm for failure to complete an action, and feedback code to enhance user interaction with the system.
The filter code is configured to separate an intentional user motion input from accidental motion. Filter code may have external forces filter code to separate user input from undesired effects of external forces, step motion code to translate user intentions into precise movement of a pointer over the grid, and to allow readjustment of the system between steps, sliding zero code to allow the user to change his/her position while operating the device, adaptive threshold code to optimize operator interaction with the system via feedback, and/or calibration code to effect user and application preferences.
The keys may be configured to be operated by fingers without obstructing the display. The active keyboard system may be configured with a single selector or plural selectors. A selector may be a wheel, a track ball, a joystick, a rocker pad, a touch pad, a selector switch, a toggle switch, a key button, an N-state button, or an N-state selector configured to be operated by a thumb or other finger.
Alternatively or in addition to a thumb/finger operated selector(s), the active keyboard system may have selector(s) configured to interpret motion of the system as an input. Such a selector may be a set of one, two, or three movement sensors configured to sense motion in different substantially orthogonal dimensions. The movement selector(s) may include two or more sets of movement sensors configured to filter out effects of undesired movement of the system by external forces.
The active keyboard system may be configured to achieve ambidextrous use by providing a partial or full duplication of the input means on the system or by allowing the user to rotate, reattach, slide, or move system parts. The keys may be configured to inhibit unintentional engagement.
The active keyboard system may be configured as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a global positioning receiving device, a remote control, a computer mouse, a pager, a walkie-talkie, a scanner, a multi-meter, etc., and may be configured to effect browsing on the Internet with a single pointer.
Accordingly, it is a principal aspect of the invention to provide an active keyboard system including a processor, a memory communicatively connected to the processor, a display communicatively connected to the processor, input means for inputting data into the system, the input means including at least one selector, a plurality of keys, and active keyboard system software stored on the memory. The active keyboard system software is configured to dynamically present available choices on the display grouped to effect unambiguous selection of the available choices through use of the input means.
It is an aspect of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an active keyboard system for handheld electronic devices for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.